Storm Record · Dodge, Jefferson, Sauk, Waukesha Counties
July 25, 2012: Straight-line wind across four counties
What the National Weather Service recorded
A line of scattered to broken supercell thunderstorms formed along a cold front that was slicing into a very warm, unstable air mass over the Upper Midwest. The combination of wind shear and CAPE provided ideal conditions for the supercells to congeal into a bowing mesoscale convective system that roared west to east across southern Wisconsin during the late evening hours of July 25th and early overnight hours of July 26th. Damaging wind gusts from the severe thunderstorm complex produced numerous reports of downed trees, power lines and some property damage to homes and businesses.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database · episode 67481
Every report, in the Weather Service's words
Where It Hit
| Location | County | Hazard | Size | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oconomowoc (3.5 SW) | Waukesha | Wind | 70 mph wind | An NWS employee reported a trampoline was blown into a house window by damaging wind gusts estimated at 70 mph (61 knots). |
| Delafield | Waukesha | Wind | 70 mph wind | A local newspaper reported trees and power lines were downed and a few homes damaged by severe thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 70 mph (61 knots). |
| Ft Atkinson | Jefferson | Wind | 66 mph wind | An NWS employee reported trees, large branches and power lines blown down in Fort Atkinson by damaging thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 57 knots (65 mph). |
| Sullivan (3 NNE) | Jefferson | Wind | 64 mph wind | An NWS employee reported a severe thunderstorm wind gust estimated at 65 mph (56 knots). |
| Big Bend (3 NW) | Waukesha | Wind | 64 mph wind | The public reported an anchored gazebo was blown over by severe thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 65 mph (56 knots). |
| Fox Lake | Dodge | Wind | 64 mph wind | Law enforcement officials reported trees and a power pole were blown down in Fox Lake by damaging thunderstorm wind gusts estimated up to 56 knots (65 mph). |
| Palmyra (2 S) | Jefferson | Wind | 63 mph wind | Numerous trees were blown down along a path from 2 miles south of Palmyra to 2 miles north of Palmyra by damaging thunderstorm wind gusts measured at a mesonet site at 55 knots (63 mph). |
| Lone Rock Airport | Sauk | Wind | 63 mph wind | The ASOS at Lone Rock Airport measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 56 knots (55 mph). |
| Waukesha Co Arpt | Waukesha | Wind | 59 mph wind | The AWOS at Waukesha County Airport (Crites Field) measured a severe thunderstorm wind gust of 59 mph (53 knots). |
Service areas this storm touched